Tanya Ling is quite the lady of the moment. She has long been on my radar for her ravishing illustrations of Vuitton’s collections, she has an addictive Instagram feed and a giant assemblage of her line paintings is the sight that greets you on entering Alex Eagle’s inspiring new lifestyle store in South Kensington. Her mixed media work can also currently be seen in her exhibition Sculptures at Darbyshire Framemakers, 19-23 White Lion Street, N1.

And now the art is wearable too. Ling has joined forces with cashmere brand Queene & Belle to produce an offering of made to order knitwear pieces (from £868) featuring Ling’s signature wiggly lines all made in the Hawick factory using local yarns. I love how she couldn’t resist painting over the photo below to turn the press shot into a work of art as well….

The voluminous, boxy silhouette is hands down the defining shape for this decade. I love anything that’s oversized, masculine and luxurious but I can’t help wondering how much longer the Celine aesthetic can endure?

Whistles has managed to boil the essence down to a signature that works for its own customer; tailored trousers, walkable shoes, sleek bags and brilliant coats that are directional (but not overwhelmingly so) and practical. And warm! Here’s a taste of what we can look forward to next autumn. Yay to these mandarin ankle-swinger trousers!

Is there anyone better at translating its brand ‘codes’ into make-up? I think not. Chanel has done it again with its new limited edition Les Intemporels de Chanel palette and nail polish, which pay homage to the classic 2.55 bag.

The five eyeshadows in the L’Intemporel De Chanel palette (£47) are embossed with the unmistakable chain motif, while the dramatic colours are an interesting choice – unapologetically intense shades of green and purple, the blackest of blacks, plus silver white and soft gold to highlight. They almost look like little jewels in a jewellery box…

For nails there’s Intemporel (£18), a molten silver designed to reflect the metal chain of the bag. To be honest, the collection suggests winter to me rather than spring, but I kind of like that Chanel goes against the grain. That said, these were the colours used for Chanel’s SS haute couture show and the effect in that was soft and pretty. I guess you can go either way – it’s all in the application.

Who doesn’t love Byredo? The scents, the packaging, the whole brand concept. This Spring, founder Ben Gorham is extending the brand into its first retail store and launching leathergoods. Of the leather line, called Byredo Nécessaire de Voyage, Gorham says, “Leather kept coming up in historical contexts tied to perfume. The first people to sell perfume were gantiers, who scented the gloves they made. It makes sense to me. We’ll see how much sense it makes to other people.” The Byredo bags are being stocked at Barneys and the store will open in New York’s Wooster Street in April.

Sophia Webster is so on point with her collaborations. At LFW, camera phones went crazy for her Coca Cola collab which themes her goodtime-girl bags and shoes in the jazzed-up Coke colourway. Meanwhile, how about this collaboration with Gooey tech cases? The iPhone and iPad mini cases have Webster’s conversational graphics emblazoned on them and are designed to stick to shiny glass and metal surfaces, leaving hands free. They’re available exclusively at Selfridges until March 15th, or from the Goo.ey site from March 16th.

Rodarte + Superga = two words you wouldn’t immediately put together. But they make rather cosy companions in the latest capsule collab from Superga. With six styles, featuring a graphic lattice print mixed with denim or tweed, they’re modelled in the press pics by fellow L.A. fashionphile, Gia Coppola. At the moment it looks like they’re only available on the US Superga site, buy them here.

In other sneaker news, some are claiming we have reached ‘peak sneak’ as Fashionista reports on the waning of trainer appeal. Harvey Nichols begs to differ though. The store has invested heavily in the sports shoe craze, with the launch this week of ‘The Sneaker Concept‘, a retail space dedicated to designer kicks. Choose from over 120 of the most desirable styles from fashion and sportswear brands including Acne, Y-3, Adidas and Common Projects. Here are a few of my picks…

It’s an interesting foundation. I like a lighter coverage which due to the high pigment, this delivers in one drop (not one pump), meaning this not inexpensive product really goes far. You have to shake the bottle well, and it dries quickly so I find that quickly buffing it in with my fingers to blend it is the best way to apply. The result is a natural finish that manages to blur a few blemishes. That could be down to the new Even Tone Technology designed to neutralise redness, dullness and discoloration. Is it luminous? I wouldn’t say so. It feels slightly matte on (but light, not cakey or heavy), yet as the day progresses I do notice a bit of shine on my combination skin.

This foundation has had mixed reviews but I like it a lot. For winter I prefer my foundation a bit creamier and glowy but this will definitely be coming out for the summer, when my skin generally needs less coverage. And for now, I can wear it with a wee drop of oil added (thanks British Beauty Blogger for that tip), which helps it go even further.

For someone who pretty much lives in Levi’s and jumpers I’m weirdly drawn to multi-textured and multi-layered dressing. Especially when it’s expertly and poetically styled. This must explain my attraction to LFW designers Toga and Phoebe English, both of whom have secured a well deserved spot on the presentation schedule in recent seasons.

Toga‘s presentations are great because they’re staged really beautifully with models on plinths so you can go up close for a proper look. The styling is always impeccable with this Japanese brand, whose bags and shoes have as much cult status as the clothes. Continue reading →

Enjoyed the February showers? It’s all to whet your appetite for today’s Burberry Prorsum AW15 show, which, by the way, you can watch here via the live stream. The show starts at 1pm GMT and this season you can enjoy some extra fun with Burberry and Twitter. Burberry has partnered with Twitter to offer fans the chance to capture pictures of the Burberry Prorsum LFW show, live from the runway. Continue reading →

In these days of Insta-journalism, a fanciful theme is a gift to the time poor and attention-deficit. It helps tell the story of a collection which is what selling clothes is all about. And our young female designers are particularly adept at it.

On the first day of London Fashion Week, we saw evocative tableaux styled as an art class and a gossipy teen gathering courtesy of Molly Goddard and Le Kilt respectively. Meanwhile, Shrimps gave us beautifully vacant aliens landed on a glittery planet surrounded by stalagmites. Continue reading →

Here’s the latest ‘Ask Alison’ guest post from retail expert and DRG contributor, ALISON BISHOP, on how brands are using new social strategies to monetise fashion week

Fashion month has kicked off and already the digerati style-set are hot on the heels of the latest ‘influencers’ and their preferred social media platforms. As fashion designers, media publishers, retailers and luxury brands all assess their ROI (return on investment) across social media spend, it’s influencer clicks and double-screening activities that are driving digital trends this season. Continue reading →